Automated trucks in mining

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Sydney,Australia -The Australian, by Andrew Trounson -January 19, 2008: -- The mining operation of the future is likely to be an eerie place, combining driverless trucks, drills and haulage trains with plant controllers monitoring operations by remote from central control stations 1000km away in a major city... Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto yesterday said it planned this year to launch a groundbreaking trial of automated mining methods at its isolated West Angelas iron ore mine deep in the deserts of Western Australia's Pilbara. And if it all goes well, Rio could start developing a largely automated iron ore mine nearby in 2010...

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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute have begun developing driverless mining trucks for Caterpillar Inc., the school announced Tuesday.

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Don't forget growth on the factory floor...

CHARLOTTE, NC—The Material Handling Industry of America group is recording a dramatic increase in the use of driverless vehicles on the shop floor. In a study by the group’s Automatic Guided Vehicles Systems section, 72 systems were reportedly either installed or expanded in the first 6 months of 2004, compared to 47 such efforts in the first half of 2003.

According to MHIA managing executive Dick Ward, the “vast majority” of the 2004 systems were new, as opposed to add-ons to existing systems, with 93 percent going to manufacturing. Applications included those in the automotive, aerospace, food, textile, paper, chemical, rubber and plastic, and public utilities sectors.

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